Lake Garda and surrounding areas help please.

Definitely do the trip to Venice. I did one from Lake Garda and loved it. I think I remember it being quite flat so ok for wheelchairs but please don't quote me on that.

I love Lake Garda - it's so beautiful - I especially liked Malcesine and Limone. I'm not sure where Torbole is in relation to these.

Thanks Bink. ?

Torbole is at the very top of the lake - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Lake_Garda_map.png

I should also add when I say wheelchair friendly, I don't mind being parked up for an hour or so for something I can't get to but my mum wants to see, or chaining the chair up and using crutches for a bit. ?

Thanks Bink. ?

Torbole is at the very top of the lake - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Lake_Garda_map.png

I should also add when I say wheelchair friendly, I don't mind being parked up for an hour or so for something I can't get to but my mum wants to see, or chaining the chair up and using crutches for a bit. ?

It wouldn't be the Caledonian Travel bus tour would it? My mum and dad did that a few years ago and they ❤️d it (my dad hates flying so this kind of holiday was ideal before they discovered cruising!) If it is my mum and dad said the travelling was fine as it tends to cater to a lot of old grannies etc so they stop quite a lot and don't drive late into the evening. I am seeing them tomorrow and can ask them if there were any people in wheelchairs or with reduced mobility.

Malcesine is quite hilly, the north of the Lake (where you are staying) is generally like that. The south of the Lake eg Desenzano, Sirmione is a lot flatter. There is a cable car that can take you to the top of Monte Baldo so it might be worth checking out the wheelchair access to that and then IIRC it's quite flat for a bit when you come out of the top of it and there are some great views so it would be worth doing if you can.

Also I know a lot of people like Verona but other than the Amphitheatre I didn't think it was up to much. I don't know if it was the time of year we were there (early June) but it was very quiet and totally lacking in ambience IMO. Romeo and Juliet's balcony, covered in chewing gum and graffiti, and the statue of Juliet with teenage boys taking photographs of each other with their hands over her tits and that was about it.

Venice would be a better day trip but it's a good couple of hours away and although at first glance it's not that wheelchair friendly a lot of the bridges over the canals have wheelchair lifts.

I went to Bardolino on Lake Garda for a week in June - Malcesnie (I want to spell that like Chesney Hawkes) is very hilly as someone else said. We did a full day's lake tour and Riva and Malchesnie were at the end so we didn't get much time to spend there and frankly we didn't feel like we missed much. I liked Limone but again, it's not flat due to its location near the mountains. As Roobarb said, somewhere like Sirmione in the south was much flatter (although there was still a small hill IIRC) and would probably have easier access for you.

I really liked Venice and you could get around a lot of there fairly easily I think but I have to agree with Roobarb on Verona. However we only went in the evening for the opera so didn't get much of a chance to explore.

I keep meaning to upload my pictures to flickr.

Thanks ladies!

Roo, it's Glenton which is a bit more modern than Caledonia but still very similar. I'll still be the youngest by 30 years. ? My mum had a horrible experience the last time she flew and just doesn't want to do it again. I begged her to go on a cruise but she had her heart set on a coach trip after hearing about friends' holidays. The travel agent assured her that the holiday itself will be completely wheelchair friendly then it's just up to what we do when we're 'free' then. I've got the best seat on the bus, with the most leg room booked, I can't wait to see the grannies faces when they rush on to get that seat. ? I've been on one coach trip before but only to oban and was the star attraction with a young and using a walking stick, I can imagine 'ahh, look at the poor wee lassie in the wheelchair, she's sae young tae, it's such a shame' already. ?

I think I might give Verona a miss then. I definitely know more about Venice and have a guide book so can look for places to visit that will be accessible.

Wordsworth, is the lake tour on a boar or by road?

The one thing my mum and I are dreading is the food as most of Scotland's older generation aren't very adventurous and it will be catered for them but lunch isn't included so we're looking forward to some lovely Italian lunches. Does anyone have a must visits?

?

By boar? ? That would certainly be interesting. ?

When we went we went round the Lake by Catamaran which is more expensive but faster than the ferry - took a couple of hours or so. We went from Desenzano (where we were staying) up to Malcesine, you could perhaps use it to go down to Sirmione which is quite nice.

Hi

Me and OH went to Lake Garda last year by train (we too were the youngest by about 30 years but it was great fun - these pensioners know how to party and drank us under the table most nights!).

Definitely don't miss Venice - it's just the best place and not too expensive if you dont' eat/drink in the main square - bargain pizza and beer to be had a few streets in - we loved the jazz club.

Verona - hmmm... have to agree with the others, I could have done without it really. Not much atmostphere and like has been said -the balcony bit is full of graffiti and gum and there's a lot of people with their hands over her @@s. Lots of vendors selling decent 'designer' bags though!

Hope this helps,

Jas
x

<completely irrelevant> My grandmother's name is Garda - but she doesn't know if she was named after the lake.

She's never met another one though.

The lake tour we did was mostly by coach, although we did take the ferry between Limone and Riva. There were some very interesting twists in the road!

If you do go to Venice, as someone else said you'll save money by avoiding the cafes on the main square. There are cheaper places, although they're still very expensive compared to the restaurants in smaller places.

Honestly though, I didn't have a bad meal the entire time I was there - all of the food was so fabulously fresh.

an elderly lady in arse-end-of-nowhereville where I grew up was called Garda. Had completely forgotten about that.

Venice will be fine. From memory it's a flat entrance to the basilica, we weren't allowed to do the Doges' Palace (company trip). Verona is basically the amphitheatre (horrendously wheelchair unfriendly, we needed oxygen ourselves having climbed to the top) and a balcony. Some fabulous shops, apparently though.

What does the brochure say about the lake tour? If they don't specifically say 'by boat' it'll be on the coach. I used to write the brochures for a similar company and we had to be very specific.

Although Venice is a must not miss option, be aware that at certian tmes of the year, there is quite heavy flooding which will limit wheelchair access. When we were last there, St Marks Square had pedestrian ramps over the flooded parts, although these were not wheelchair friendly and were extremely crowded.

Don't know what provision there is for the ski lift in Malcesine but if you can find out and it's possible I really would go there one day - we spent the whole day there but that included up in the mountain. TBH I would suggest that if they're only doing a half day lake tour it possibly isn't worth it (the lake tour I mean) - so if the chair lift is wheel chair friendly (I can't remember) do that instead. We spent a whole day on the lake tour and still wasn't really long enough - we did stop in Malcesine, Riva, Torbole and somewhere down on the bottom of the lake though.

Verona is lovely as is Venice. If you do decide to visit Venice I have one of those popout maps you can borrow - I doubt it will have changed much! Both of these are in the main wheel chair friendly although as with most places there are the odd exception - the campanile in Venice has a lift but there are lots of steps in the Doges Palace for example.

Dolomites are gorgeous and that route you're going on I've done so...

Round the lakes - Garda is lovely - the street market goes to different towns each day - that's worth a look.

TBH if you can, just do everything, obviously I realise that's if you feel up to it. It's a beautiful area and I did nearly all of that on honeymoon. The only thing I didn't do was Venice on that trip but I'd been there before and Simon has promised me a long weekend there at some stage. (It's now some time off in the distant future but I'm holding him to it!).

ETA It's been almost four years since our trip so it might have changed for the access in all these places since then. It's probably best to see if you can speak to someone at the tour company whose been before - the office staff probably haven't been and it would be awful to miss out on something that you could have done.

Also unlike others as I say above I did like Verona but if I'm honest - not as much the second time. The first time I went it was lovely but not the second and thinking about it. I don't think I'd go back again.

We're going tail end of ~August, beginning of September so <crosses fingers>

Thank you all so much, you've all been really helpful, I'm so glad I posted! ?

My brain is a bit mushy to reply individually but I'll be back. ?

Wow, you will have a lovely time! I can't add any specific advice other than enjoy!

Oh, and if anyone makes any 'poor wee lass' comments, ? tell them you are really sisters and you are in fact 72 with a good cosmetic surgeon ?